Rhetorical Analysis Essay About Men

In the essay, “About Men” (1984), Gretel Ehrlich makes a claim that men are not as tough as they seem on the outside. Ehrlich primarily employs two of Aristotle’s rhetorical devices. Both a primary use of pathos to employ audience emotion and a secondary use of ethos to build credibility create a strong rhetorical response to the general category cowboys are perceived to fit into. Though her first person perspective and personal experience she shows a casual type of analysis, however through her words choice, specific detail, and imagery are made evident and her attention to detail creates a method of delivery for tone. Throughout her essay Ehrlich has an ability for delivering her rhetorical purpose that is expressed through her diction

In other words, she is creating a one on one relationship between herself and the reader. By providing her one on one insight in the following example, "Even young cowboys are evasive with women. It's not that they're Jekyll and Hyde creatures- gentle with animals and rough on women- but rather they do not know how to bring their gentleness into the house and lack a vernacular to show the complexity of what they feel.", the reader is both sad but able to understand the cowboys lives and the lack of the public's understanding of their lives at a domestic

For instance, she uses specific wording such as “pilgrimage” (254) and “conquest” (252)”. Both words are filled with specific emotions she intended to trigger. In other words, “pilgrimage” gives the feeling of an important journey, while “conquest” enhances the journey by describing its end behavior through victory and establishment. Through her word choice and diction, she improves her argument and in turn creates a stronger persuasive essay. In addition to diction, another important stylistic approach to conveying a rhetorical purpose is Ehrlich’s use of syntax, her use of detailed syntax is seen in the following: “…I'm aching to see is horse flesh, the glint of a spur, a line on distant mountains, brimming creeks...". In this instance, Ehrlich uses specifically placed, powerful words to provide her audience with imagery, a powerful tool for arguing her rhetorical